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Monday, 16 April 2012

The Woman in White: Part Two

Woooooah, revelations abound in that last chapter there, amiright?! I was just reading it with my mouth hanging metaphorically open, mentally cheering on Marian, and not quite believing what was going on. I mean... I knew there was totally something shady about Fosco, BUT encouraging Laura's murder?! Really?! REALLY?!

But that was the end of the section. Sooooo much more to talk about than that. Glossing over whatshisface's narrative (Gilmore? The lawyer guy?) because it was boring and basically just moved the plot forward a bit and blah blah blah, let's just get to Marian! And get to her we did- and if Marian could just narrate the whole of the rest of the book, that would be great, kay? Kay.

So. Let's talk about Fosco because he's a very very interesting (and by that I mean potentially evil) dude. And I really didn't know what to think of him at first- I was like, well Marian seems to like him well enough, and he's so good to the animals, and YET he's this crazy man who as the ability to turn women basically into robots. So I was a bit iffy whenever Marian was like 'oh yeah, he's quite nice' because, you know, subjugation of women and stuff, so when her opinion changed of him when he basically argued that you should totally be a criminal as long as you can get away with it (BAD!) I was relieved because, well, I can't have a dissenting opinion from Marian!

Except for this one. Because it pisses me off when she's all like 'oh, if only I was a man, I would do this' because I'm all like 'Just do it Marian!' since, you know, she can do all these things, but doesn't because it would be unladylike. That is, with the exception of her dazzling feats of climbing over rooftops which I fully approve of (seriously, that last chapter? I want to marry it and have its babies because it was so AWESOME.) And also the thing where Fosco's like 'oh, she is as smart and cunning as a man', and I'm like THOSE ARE NOT NECESSARILY MASCULINE TRAITS, STOP BEING SO DAMN SEXIST, and then I remember it's a Victorian novel, and, well, Marian's a fairly awesome female character considering that, so I should probably just shhh (especially because I'm a woman. HA).

Anyway, so Marian is still awesome, and if you want to consider just how awesome, consider this:

"'Who cares for his causes of complaint? Are you to break your heart to set his mind at ease? No man under heaven deserves these sacrifices from us women. Men! They are the enemies of our innocence and our peace- they drag us away from our parents' love and our sisters' friendship- they take us body and soul to themselves, and fasten our helpless lives to theirs as they chain up a dog to his kennel. And what does the best of them give us in return?'"

Presumably the answer to that is, you know, babies and shit, but oh Marian, you're right- marriage shouldn't be a woman's only option! It was poor old Laura's only option (at least in her brain) and oh boy is she regretting it now, even if she does at least have Marian there to help her out. Laura was a lot more interesting in this part, I thought, even though she's still pretty weedy compared to Marian. The thing is, though, she's another one of those people that Marian likes, and so I basically have to pretty much like her too- that's how this thing works!

Apart from the end of the section, probably my favourite bit was the bit described by Laura with the still mysterious Woman in White, Anne thingummy. Because, ooooh the mystery, and the thing she knows about Percy (I don't think he deserves to be called Sir Percival, so I refuse to address him like that) that he doesn't want anyone to know, and they've mentioned the creepy lake so much that I have to wonder if there's a body in it, which is soon to be joined by Laura's and OH MY GOD THE HORROR! Or maybe it's a whole other secret entirely, about his secret wife locked in the attic or something, but I really really really want to know! Damn it being all suspenseful and stuff! Oh yeah, and Anne managed to keep up her reputation of being extremely creepy and ghostlike, since she once again tricked me into believing that she was, in fact, a ghost. I'm fairly sure she's still alive, but really, who can tell?!

There were probably more things to say about that last bit, but they were all blown out of my head with Marian being like Spiderman or something, and with the plotting/encouragement of Laura's murder, which, actually, I can still hardly believe! I'm really really excited to read the next bit, and to NOT leave it until Sunday night when there are like a million pages to read. Or, at least, I'll try not to...

25 comments:

That chapter with Marian climbing sneaking around on roofs and listening to secret murder planning meetings - amazing! She is the best. Tracking people in the woods and advising Laura and standing up to Percy.

Also your comment, "you know, babies and shit" cracked me up which is awk cos I'm at work but still. Great line!

Aw, now I feel bad for calling him Sir Percival. But there's a really awesome character in an opera I love called Percy and I do not want to mix them in my brain.

MARIAAAAAN. You addressed a bunch of things I left out (I like that we have to do that or our posts each week would be A ZILLION PAGES). I have to confess I haven't gotten to her climbing the roof thing yet (aside from skimming) but I am so looking forward.

As for the masculine stuff, I mean, ok, it reminds me of Beatrice's speech in Much Ado where she says "If I were a man" and talks about how she would have revenge on Claudio for how he treated Hero. I don't think it's so much her not wanting to be seen as unladylike as it was really just inconceivable to her Victorian brain that she could do those things.

Someone needs to talk about the Laura/Marian gayness, because damn. When this happened, I was like "WTH IS GOING ON, WILKIE":

"I caught her by the hand as she passed me on her way to the table, and kissed her as if that night was to part us for ever. While they were all gazing at me in astonishment, I ran out through the low window which was open before me to the ground—ran out to hide from them in the darkness, to hide even from myself."

And have you noticed that basically everything important in this book happens in outbuildings? Like the shed where Hartright first sees Laura and then is told he must leave, and then the boathouse where EVERYTHING HAPPENS?

Weeell... I don't think he deserves to be called Sir Percival, but ALSO I didn't want to type out his whole name the whole time. But he's definitely undeserving of nobility!

Duuuude, the climbing the roof bit is the BEST BIT! Seriously, because it's the one time where Marian goes 'I shouldn't do this because I'm a lady, but fuck it, I'm going to do it anyway cause I love Laura!' and I rejoice because hey, that's my name too!

Also, yeah, I get the not even realising that she could possibly do it thing. My moan is more of a hangover from this thing that Elizabeth I once said where she was like 'I may have the feeble body of a woman, but under that beats the heart of a strong man' or whatever, and I'm like NO! YOU ARE A STRONG WOMAN, HELP OTHER PEOPLE BE EMPOWERED! But, you know, it was like the 16th/17th century, so I should probably get over things like that.

I totally didn't realise that all the important stuff happens outside, but now that you mention it, I like to think that has something to do with Anne and the fact that she's not allowed inside houses and has to stay outside... you know? I'm still waaaay interested in Anne, even though I'm fairly sure she's just going to be a pretty minor character. But still. I WANT TO KNOW THE SECRET!

I think Elizabeth was doing the same sort of thing as Marian, i.e. saying "I know you think this way, so I'm going to play to that and say 'see me as a man' rather than 'see me as a kickass woman' because you cannot conceive of that."

STILL NOT ON CLIMBING ROOF PART. Stupid work. But I DID read something I most definitely want to comment on, but now I'm gonna have to take a step back in next week's post and talk about it there. SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS.

I guess- and maybe she couldn't even conceive of it herself, anyway, and just went 'I'm going to act like a man and do what I want cause I'm the Queen so there' which is fairly cool in itself!

READ THE ROOF CLIMBING!! It's so awesome! And also, oooooh, new information, I am intrigued! Although by next week the thing that you think is important might not be anymore, and then you'll just be like 'screw it!'

That monologue about how only clever people can get away with crime was certainly ominous. Especially because I'm SURE Fosco is one of those people. But that boathouse conversation reminds me, do we know why he flipped out when he saw that spot of blood under the bench? I mean, he LOST it over that dark stain in the dirt.

And WHY does everyone think Gilmore is so boring? He's adorable, and I'm worried about his health.

Aw, at least someone is worried about Gilmore! I think he's ok, he's all recuperaty in the country now so he should be fine!

He did lose it over the blood! I'm thinking a murder, with the body in the lake because they keep mentioning the damn lake... but Fosco doesn't know about The Secret (or doesn't seem to) so why would he be horrified? I JUST DON'T KNOW!

Right! And then Percy could be all like 'oh FUCK!' and do a midnight body removal from the lake and Marian could catch him and be all like 'I'm taking Laura away from here now and we're going to live together forever and kiss and things!'

Well, I don't think we need to read the book anymore! Perfect ending! (apart from the incest. Obvs.)

And THEN Laura finds out she is not in fact the daughter of Mrs. Fairlie but is Anne Catherick's twin, thereby making her not related to Marian. And then they live together forever and kiss and things.

I... I think there was in the original, but not in the Lindsay Lohan remake? Or is there one in the new one? I just can't remember! Guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow (cause I own both versions of The Parent Trap because I'm AWESOME!)

But yeah, a musical number in WiW all the way! At the back of my copy there's the play version of WiW, so maybe, just maybe, there's a song in it! *crosses fingers*

Yes! All my loving to the last chapter. That's a really interesting point about Marian wanting to ride about Like a Man but stopping herself because she's ladyfolk. She makes fun of her gender all over the place, but adhering to that kind of role here makes you think she really believes it and isn't just being awesomely sarcastic. This saddens me. Run free, Marian.